Our Mission
The Nigerian Field Society (NFS) is a national organization founded in 1930 with Branches in several cities across the country. There have been active Branches in as many as 20 cities over the years bu, as the NFS is entirely a voluntary organization, Branches come and go depending on local interest and volunteer commitment. The first edition of NFS’s publication, The Nigerian Field was published in 1931. This journal still continues and is one Nigeria’s oldest continuous publications.
The Mission of the NFS is:
- To encourage interest in and knowledge of the fauna, flora, history, legends and customs, arts and crafts, sciences, sports and pastimes of West Africa in general and Nigeria in particular;
- To support their conservation;
- To co-operate with organizations with similar interests.
Each Branch of the NFS forms a Committee and operates programs which are consistent with the Mission and rules of the National organization.
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The Lagos Branch Committee
The Lagos Branch Committee is composed of 13 NFS members: the Campbells (Hugh and Robin, Co-Chairs), the Van Triers (Wil and Paulette, Past Co-Chairpersons), Bob Griffith (Treasurer), Maaike Joenje and Hans Meijers (Membership Secretary), the Platas (Mario and Fatima, Webmaster), the Barberopoulos (Romeo and Irene), the Barkers (John and Lade), Betti O, the Halls (Phil and Carolyn), Prof. Emmanuel Obot, the Snoxells (Veronica and Mark), Matthias Wolandt, Susan and Kevin King, Sharon and Jonathan Barrow and Aino Oni-Okpaku.
In addition to the Committee, other members have played an important role in leading trips this year, including Viccy Baker, Lindie Rudover and Barbara and Andre DeLeebeck. The Committee hopes to continue to involve more members who are experienced travelers in Nigeria to lead trips.
We also are most grateful to the British High Commissioner for generously offering his residence for NFS talks, as well as to the Canadian Deputy High Commission and the Lagos Yacht Club for the use of their facilities.
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The Lagos Branch Program
In 2006 the Lagos Branch organized 38 trips, 35 of which were within Nigeria and three in neighbouring Ghana, Niger and Equatorial Guinea. In designing the program the Committee tried to appeal to a wide variety of interests, including nature and conservation (eg. Yankari National Park, hiking in Cross River, Okomo Forest), culture (eg. Fulani villages along the Niger River, the Osun festival in Osogbo; Stilt village) and sport and entertainment (eg. Lagos Polo Finals, Femi Kuti at the Shrine; Short Film Festival). There were also 7 talks/evening events by resident experts including Wole Soyinka, Jimi Solanke, John Barker and Robert Warren.
This year the Branch forged working partnerships with The Goethe Institute, Legacy, the African Book Group, and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.
NFS Lagos Branch Membership
The membership grew by 39% last year for a total of 240 members, which represents approximately 400 people.
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NFS Lagos Branch Finances
All the activities of the NFS are run on a break even basis, with the costs of trips divided equally amongst the participants. Committee members and Trip Leaders who plan and lead trips/events do so on a voluntary basis, so our overhead is very low. The fees are 2000 Naira per family per year which goes towards funding the NFS website for the entire Society; fees to the National Council which primarily goes towards the NFS’s publication, The Nigerian Field ,support of the National Council/Society activities, of which the Lagos Branch is a major contributor; a contribution for eco/cultural projects support in Nigeria.
Priorities
The Committee has established six key strategic priorities for 2007, including:
- To continue to serve our members through a strong program of talks, trips, and experiences that include a balance of environmental interests as well as traditional and contemporary culture;
- To recruit additional people to coordinate and lead events and to assist with the website;
- To upgrade the NFS website, thereby providing information and promoting the exploration and study of the culture and environment of Nigeria and West Africa amongst people within Nigeria and around the world;
- To work with other Branches of the NFS ,where possible, to strengthen their presence in their local communities;
- To encourage the contribution of articles to The Nigerian Field by our members;
- To support the work of organizations whose aims are consistent with the Mission of the NFS by building awareness through our website and other NFS activities.
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Lagos Branch
